summer summer

{a collection of some of my fave instagram pics  from this summer}

Dear friends,

I don't know about you, but for me, this summer is just whirling by. You can ask my husband---I'm in "holy moly, it's August!" mode, which means I'm saying things like, "We need to get ice cream and jump in the pool and do every summer thing right now because it's going to be cold soon!" And then he reminds me that we live in North Carolina now and it will still be warm for a little while, so we're going to be ok. Phew! Too many fun things, too little time, right?

But still, I'm a summer person. I was made for summer. I love the hot and the vacations and the sun not setting til well after 8pm. I could eat watermelon, peaches and blueberries for all my meals and I'd be one happy camper. It's my very favorite time of the year, and these months have been especially fun since they've been highlighted with weddings, vistors, travels, and the greatest little sushi place we discovered within walking distance! Can I get an amen?!

So lately I've just been trying to soak them up one day at a time and make the most of the sunshine and lemonade weather. The great news is that we've still got a lot of fun to look forward to this month. Our 2 year (what?!) anniversary is just around the corner and we're headed to Charleston for some more Southern adventures, and I'm so excited I am basically already packed. Side note: if you have any recs for things to see/do/eat in while we're there, please share below! I'd love to hear!

Hope you all are summer lovin'! xo, Caitlin

oh so excited! featured on Oh So Beautiful Paper!

Hello hello!

Just wanted to pop in and share that a wedding invitation suite that I had the honor of working on is featured on Oh So Beautiful Paper this week!!  I had a blast working on this set because Molly at Paisley Quill pretty much rocked the design socks off of this totally custom suite, as you'll see in all the pictures.  She totally nailed the rustic, outdoorsy vibe for the Vermont mountain wedding, so be prepared to flip when you see all the pieces together.  (The vintage stamps?!  The envelope liners?!  I'm on overload!)

And in case you aren't familiar with Oh So Beautiful Paper, just know that it's one of my fave blogs and makes me more obsessed with paper on the daily.  You can come back and thank me later for introducing you, because I'm pretty sure you're going to become really great friends.  Thank you to Nole for featuring, for Molly for designing, and newlyweds Chelsea & Brandon for letting me contribute to your special day!

xo, Caitlin

the one where i live in north carolina

Dear friends,

Well hiii!  I feel like I should write you all postcards saying "Greetings from Charlotte! We made it!" because guess what?  We moved to North Carolina this weekend, just in time for spring....which starts tomorrow if you haven't been counting down!  So just pretend like this is your postcard, and on the front there is a picture of  me waving at you among the blooming dogwood trees with the caption "Hey, y'all!"...because I'm pretty much a southern lady now.

The transition from Indy to Charlotte was kind of a zany one, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.  We packed our days with family visits, friend hang outs, restaurants that were still on our bucket list, and even spent the weekend at a retreat with 50+ high schoolers from our church on our way out of town.  From there, we were Charlotte-bound, which meant driving through snow, sleet, rain and fog as we wound our way through the Smokies and towards Charlotte.  Charlotte ended up being SO thrilled to have us, she poured down even more sleet and rain as we unloaded the truck, which was hysterical and 100% not ok all at the same time.  We laughed (and I nearly cried) carrying our stuff through all the precipitation, but we capped off the move by celebrating St. Patty's Day with homemade reubens, which {almost} made up for all the freezingness.

So now we're here, getting all settled and learning our new 'hood.  The screws to our kitchen table have gone MIA and I just found the silverware in a laptop bag---but that's part of the adventure, right?!  Sending you lots of North Carolina love!

Sincerely, Caitlin

hey there, 2014

Dear friends,

We may be halfway through January, but the new year is still fresh in my mind, and I wanted to do a little check-in about what's been happening around here.  I mean life is good, and the shop is good, but here's a deeper look at what's been going on.

A look back: 2013 finished with a big huge bang, fondly known as the holiday season.  The Lord really blessed Lettered Life Shop beyond what I could have imagined, and it was a JOY to be able to help people make and choose things as gifts for their loved ones.  It was a season  full of personalized items, so lots of custom address stamps and stationery.  My heart was brimming with thankfulness for God's goodness and sweet customers as I packed up orders and headed to the the post office.

You may not know this, but I was sent an elf for the season and I owe him a huge thank you for his packaging and shipping assistance. He was cheerful all the time, and I'm actually also married to him, so basically, I'm the luckiest lady ever.  A hundred thousand thank yous for all your help, hubs.

Leading up to Christmas, we paused on the shop to focus on the reason for the season.  We bopped all around the midwest filling up on the greatness of the nativity, family time and of course, my aunt's caramel brownies.  My sister got engaged (YAY!) and I won some old colored pencils in our family white elephant game----the blessings truly overfloweth.  I met up with old friends while back home, and even had besties come for a visit at New Years, with their super-sweet 6 month old in hand.  So so good.

We got snowpocalypsed and were pretty much locked inside for a few days as the snow kept coming and the pipes started bursting.  (True story.)  While all that was happening, I worked on logo projects, read some great books, and used the Nike Training Plus app to burn off all the hot chocolate I was drinking.

Lately I've been doing all sorts of fun work, including some design projects that I can't reveal quite yet and setting up custom calligraphy orders.  If you know of anyone that's recently engaged and looking for someone to do calligraphy for their envelopes, placecards, escort cards, etc.... I know a girl that can help you out!  I'd be over the moon if you shared my shop link with them!

Looking forward... Last year I set a bunch of goals in January and pushed towards them monthly.  I did check-ins which were fantastic because making goals public is scary and gives you a little more reason to chase after them.  For the most part, I stuck with them and let them become new normals in my life.  Quiet morning time, business growing, and book reading are all in my routine now, and I'm so thankful for that! This year goals are going to change monthly to make sure I'm still stretching myself.   The big thing on my list for January: give this blog more love.   You should be able to track that one pretty easily, so hold me to it!

Cheers to you!  Hope your 2014 is packed with peace and love.

Caitlin

 

thankful

Hello hello hello!

I hope your Thanksgiving was truly a wonderful day!  Ours was full and fantastic: a Turkey Day run, church, and a big ol' family gathering complete with card games and a family sing-off.  There was so much to be thankful for, and guess what?  There still is.

One of the things that really tops my list of thanks this year is the small business community.  Other small business owners who have helped point me in the right direction and all the sweet people who have supported Lettered Life have been big, giant blessings in my life this year, and there isn't a day that passes that I don't say thank you, Jesus, for pouring on the love.  Running with the shop has been a crazy and FUN ride thus far, and I'm just blessed beyond a words in a blog post.  So  hear this:  Thank you!  So much!  I'm thankful for YOU!

That being said, it's Black Friday and I know that you know that you want a deal.  So here ya go, some discounts for your shopping cart. Deals are only good through midnight tonight, so be sure to pop on over to the shop and enter one of these coupon codes!

Happy shopping! Caitlin

it's the holiday season

Hello friends!

I'm SO in the holiday spirit right now.  Flurries are swirling in the air outside the window and I'm about to travel around the midwest to do the tour de family, which I couldn't be more excited about.  Yep, I'm ready for the people and pies I love to be gathered around the same table as we come together and give thanks.

Since tomorrow kicks off a whole special season of giving and tradition, and because I'm ready to get my apartment lookin' its holiday best, I thought I'd share a  print that's available in the shop. If you are on the hunt for some festive decor, be sure to head to my Etsy shop and browse around!  Christmas cards, custom stamps and some fun gift ideas are also there, too, so keep your eyes open for those!

Hope your Thanksgiving is sweeter than potatoes, Caitlin

october eves

Friends,

31 Days of typography has been real. Thanks for venturing along with me, and thanks for giving me grace when I was behind....although I did stay on top of it for longer than I thought I could! That last week ended up being hard to pull together, but I'm glad I could really sit down and move through the final days, even if it was secretly a little behind. The journey wasn't quite over for me, so I took a few more days to complete it.  I hope that was ok with you, and the whole month was a fun one. Hopefully you have found some ideas that you can keep in your back pocket for future type projects. Spending time studying font styles that really stood out to me made me want to spend about a 100000 more hours sketching out new ideas, and I'm thankful for the burst of inspiration.

So hope those October eves treated you well, and cheers to what's to come.  The lovely illustration above is one of the many spunky-fun works of Mary Kate McDevitt!

Peace,

Caitlin

P.S. This wraps up 31 Days of Typography.  Click here for other typography posts!

play

Well hi!

So excited to share this type find from the interwebs today.  It might be my very favorite find yet!!   This designer created a whole alphabet in baby's breath, and I love the fresh, lighthearted feeling, hence the inspiration behind the word I put together with it. It's easy to forget to play, isn't it?  To-do lists always seem long, but there's a big beautiful world for us to enjoy and form into letters and take pictures of, so let's do it!

xo, Caitlin

P.S. Today is day 30 of 31 Days of Typography.  Click here for other typography posts!

coconut banana cream

Dear friends,

So today, a really big thing happened.  Like, huge. I used up another one of my very favorite candles.  Like I was watching the wax get lower and lower and the wick get shorter and shorter until it just puffed out after its final moment of coconut banana cream glory.  Like I said, was a big deal.

Because this year I kinda got into candles, starting at Making Things Happen when we talked about really filling our lives with great things, including sights, sounds and smell and I realized that I never really think about appreciating my sense of smell.  So inspired by Nancy Ray, I now often light a candle right when I wake up in the morning to get the party started.  And recently the candle I had been lighting was the pretty one featured above from Anthro, and it made everything smell nice and homey and warm---awesome for fall-ness weather.

But now I'm at the bottom the jar, and you know what that means.  Time to start dreaming about the next candle to join the morning routine.  Looks like Anthro has switched out the Boulangerie jars to new fall scents, and the Whipped Cream & Pear, Pumkin Souffle and Sweet Vanilla Cinnamon all sound pretty delicious.

And because it is still the 31 Days of Typography, I thought we'd use my beloved candle as some font-spiration. To get their vintage-y look, I paired DaunPenh with Antonio.

Go light a candle! :)

Caitlin

P.S. Today is day 28 of 31 Days of Typography.  Click here for other typography posts!

anchor of hope

Hey friends!

Ready for some tunes?  Because here's a little something from Ellie Holcomb that I can't stop listening to: Anchor of Hope!  I first heard Ellie when she and her husband's band (Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors) were opening for NeedtoBreathe in the spring, and I got hooked.  In addition to bringing some soul to Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, she's a super talented solo artist.  I love listening to her stuff when I'm designing---it's really relaxing, positive and beautiful.

And the fonts above are totally free and cute, right?  They are Madame Klara and Enso, so be sure to check them out, too.

Peace and love! Caitlin

P.S. Today is day 28 of 31 Days of Typography.  Click here for other typography posts!

life is the art of drawing

Hello hello!

I'm really digging this quote, and the amazing design work of Jessica Hische.  She's an absolute rockstar, and if you bounce around her portfolio, I'll bet you'll recognize some of her work.  (Love stamp?  Classics for Barnes & Noble?)

What I think she really hit out of the park with this one (I'm in a World Series mode, sorry about the baseball jargon) is the fluidity.  We read from left to right, but half the words are connected right to left, and it still works beautifully!  She really carries you from one word to the next so the whole phrase just rolls together.  What's even cooler is how well I think that design choice aligns with the text.  In my opinion, the lack of space between words really ties with the "no erasing" theme. She's going forward, not going back!

I'm also just really enjoying the quote itself.  It's a good reminder that there's not a lot of fruit that comes out of trying to erase. While I can't go back and un-do what I've done, I can always keep drawing.

xo, Caitlin

P.S. Today is day 26 of 31 Days of Typography.  Click here for other typography posts!

 

lakeview

Hey hey!

Today's type find is coming at you live from a super sweet little antique store in Indy!  They have a really cool bottle section, where I stopped and admired lots of classic glass soda bottles, like this one called Lakeview, from 1968.  7 ounces of sweetness, I'd say---ingredient and type-wise.  The ingredients on the back were listed as "pure flavorings, pure cane sugar and pure spring water" and the font is just pretty.

The "Lakeview" lettering reminds me of a typeface we talked about a little while back---pop quiz---who remembers?  You got it --- it's Haymaker.  The green glass also really makes the white and red lettering stand out, and I think it adds to the campy feel of the whole drink.

Cheers! Caitlin

P.S. Today is day 25 of 31 Days of Typography.  Click here for other typography posts!

washingtonian best breakfasts

Hey friends!

I'm catching back up on my 31 Days of Typography, so here we go! Day 24!  And how suh-weet is this Washingtonian magazine cover?! Could it really be any more delicious?  From the magnificent type to the mega pancake stack, this cover gets my attention, and I'm loving it. I love the symmetric feel of "Best Breakfasts" and the diner-esque type belongs with a picture of pancakes, does it not?  Throw in that handletterd subtitle font and this designer put together a match made in heaven.  Do you think people in Washington get up earlier so they can enjoy breakfasts like this?  Sure hope so.

xo! Caitlin

Head here for other 31 Days of Typography posts!

between the pages

Hey there!

My thoughts on books? They are lovely places to be.  I think most books carry us to  places we couldn't actually travel to on a daily basis or teach us things we wouldn't normally come across in our everyday lives.  The books I've read feel like places that I've visited, spots where I've spent time in thought and left with a souvenir of a lesson learned.

So I'll keep reading them, and I hope you will, too.  As always, if you have any book recs, feel free to post them below!  One of my fave authors, Shauna Niequist, posted this list of reads and I'm adding them to my list!

xo, Caitlin

PS---This is Day 23 of 31 Days of Typography, and Haymaker is the font pictured above!  I loved it's structure and thought it was book-y as soon as I saw it.  For other font finds and typography talk, check out this post!

autumn

Hey friends!

How beautiful is this page spread?!  It's from "Seasons: The Best of Donna Hay Magazine" and I thought it would be perfect for Day 22 of 31 Days of Typography?  (I'm totally counting  handlettering as type in this instance.)  I stumbled upon it at the library, and I'm quite sure you would love it.  It's like a cookbook /coffee table photography book combo and so unique  I can't stop flipping through. Picture full-page food and landscape images paired with cozy recipes.  Catch my drift?  And all of the photos and recipes are grouped together by season, so if I wasn't already feeling fall-ish, this baby did the trick!

One of my very favorite parts are the little handwritten notes sprinkled through the book, in the same handwriting as the "Autumn" above.  Like this one about soup: "Soup chases away chills, soothes the soul, nurtures the appetite and leaves you feeling warm and loved all over."  I always like soup, and then that sentence happened.  Now I really love soup.  Who's feeling the same?!

Anyways, hope you are enjoying your autumn! xo, Caitlin

PS--Thanks to all who joined in the instagram sale fun today!  More to come tomorrow with journals!  Follow along here!

Head here for other 31 Days of Typography posts!

honey

Hey honey!

That's right, today I'm looking at honey...specifically, the packaging around honey because people are doing some pretty beautiful and creative things with it.   Above is a little assortment of some of my fave packaging designs based around great illustration and type.  Does a favorite immediately jump out at you?  I'm really digging the cheerful Helt jar!

Hope your day is sweet! Caitlin

1.) Blue Hill Honey 2.) Babees Honey 3.) Denniston Apiary Honey  4.) Helt  5.) Honey Hunter

(PS–this was day 21 of 31 Days of Typography.  To see what other type finds I’ve shared this month, check out the links below!) Day 1: Bolt Day 2: Bloomington Brewing Co Day 3: 58 Day 4: Follow You Day 5: Farm Fresh Produce Day 6: Strength & Song Day 7: Have Faith Day 8: In Deepest Waters Day 9: Potpourri Day 10: Make Something Good Day 11: Let's Go Cards Day 12: Whitmans Day 13: Gateway Arch Day 14: Beauty Day 15: Life Writing Paper Day 16: Paula Red Day 17: Tattoo Day 18: Popt Corn Day 19: Real Life Type Day 20: Caramel Pumpkin Swirl Scones Day 21: Honey

Fall Instagram Sale

Hello hello!

Just wanted to pop in and give you some scoop on a little sale I'll be having this week on Instagram!  To make room for Christmas inventory, there will be some sweet deals on a bunch of items.  Each day will feature a different product, beginning tomorrow (Oct. 22) with canvases.

How this Fall Instagram Sale will work:

  • I'll post a pic of what's for sale on Instagram, and the first person to leave their PayPal email address will be the lucky receiver!
  • That person will be sent an invoice via PayPal, which must be paid within 24 hours, or else next person in line has the chance to buy.
  • Item will be deleted once the invoice is paid to protect email addresses.

Sounds like fun, right?!  I'm sure excited.  Make sure you're following along on Instagram to participate!

Happy shopping!

Caitlin